


today, this day, marked down in memories

by MatildaSwan



Series: this family of ours, we wouldn't change it for the world [1]
Category: Holby City
Genre: Coming Out, Everyone Has Issues, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Family Gatherings, Hickey/Bruises, Marking, but they're mostly okay, everyone has new partners to introduce to the family, tmi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 14:24:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11163711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MatildaSwan/pseuds/MatildaSwan
Summary: Gay culture is sneaking away from family gatherings to reapply concealer to a hickey and maybe making out in the bathroom after joking about lesbian spores





	today, this day, marked down in memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ktlsyrtis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktlsyrtis/gifts).



> CW: the Dunn-Wolfe family is covered in emotional issues and most of them should seek counselling but on the whole they're fine and functional, includes one lesbiphoic character being ignorant, references to (light) kink and general oversharing of private sexual affairs.
> 
> Many thanks to Lo for beta-ing and also to Nat for moral support, bless you both <3, and for Jess, my darling, because you asked and so I provided.

Bernie writhes as nails rake up her back, bucks against Serena’s hand buried between her legs, keens as fingers wind themselves in her hair. The hand pulls hard and Bernie quivers, moans, comes hard; clenching around Serena’s fingers with Serena’s teeth on her neck and her fist in Bernie’s hair. 

She rides out her orgasm, Serena mumbling against her neck; flops onto the bed like a limp noodle, takes a few gasping breaths and bursts out laughing.

Serena chuckles as she kisses over Bernie face towards her lips, nibbles at Bernie’s bottom lip before kissing her, swallowing the last of the giggles bubbling up Bernie’s throat. 

She breaks away, presses her lips against Bernie’s cheek, still smiling; feels Bernie smile back and turn her head steal to another kiss, featherlight, and hums against Serena’s lips before pulling away to try and stifle a yawn.

Serena nuzzles into Bernie’s neck and whispers good night against her skin, hears Bernie mumbles it back, eyes already heavy and closing. Curls them onto their sides, rests her forehead on the nape of Bernie’s neck, curls her hand over the curve of Bernie’s hip. Falls asleep with a smile on her lips and certain that Bernie is smiling too.  

*

Bernie is, indeed, still smiling: when she blinks herself awake, when she kisses Serena good morning, when she braves the cold to get out of bed and pads towards the shower. She takes her time, washes her hair once, conditions it twice, scrubs herself raw with the fancy loofa Serena got her for Christmas. 

She hums with excitement, delighted to know what day it is, so keen to see Charlotte on her birthday. She hums with relief, to know she never has to miss another milestone of her children’s lives, to know she can be here to enjoy them with her family. 

Granted, that family does still include Marcus, in a roundabout fashion, and today does entail meeting his new girlfriend—Charlotte had been kind enough to warn her mother when she’d invited her and Serena in the first place—but Bernie is determined to persevere through any level of awkwardness for today. 

After all, Charlotte only turns 21 once in her life, just like she had 15 and 18, only this time Bernie is here to see it. Bernie is here, Bernie is invited, Bernie is welcome. Anything she has to deal with today will be worth it, just for that. 

She is smiling when she gets out of the shower, when she towels herself dry, when she squirts out toothpaste onto her brush. She jams the brush in her mouth, mint fizz on her tongue, scrubs her teeth between still smiling lips. She looks into the mirror, makes out her reflection in fog and mist, and stops scrubbing. Bernie frowns, squints, rubs a patch of mirror clear. Stops smiling.  

Her eyes go wide with horror and her mouth goes slack. Her grip on the toothbrush goes limp and she almost drops it; pulls it out of her mouth and spits out her paste instead. Turns her head towards the bathroom door and hollers for Serena.  

She hears Serena call back, get out of bed, make towards the ensuite. She panics as she waits for Serena to open the door and glares as Serena stands in the doorframe.

“What the hell is this?” Bernie asks, pasted brush in one hand and the other pointing at her neck. 

Serena follows the finger to the rather large purpling bruise on the curve of Bernie’s neck.

“Oh, that,” she says nonchalantly, looks back up at Bernie’s face and smirks, quirks a brow, eyes sparkling. “It’s a love bite, Bernie.”

“Yes, I know that,” Bernie replies, exasperated, dropping her hand down to her hip. “What is it doing on my neck?”

“Because I put it there.”  

“ _Why_?” 

“Because you asked me to,” Serena says simply, recalling a series of rather vivid memories she’s collected in the months they’ve been together, of Bernie begging to be marked, begging Serena to leave her mark behind, to leave her mark behind on Bernie’s skin. 

“Many, many times,” Serena adds, taking a step forward with each word and reaching out for Bernie to say good morning. 

Bernie steps back and out of reach of Serena’s hands. 

“Well, yes, I know, but…” she breaks off, looking up and away from Serena to the corner of the bathroom, and worries her bottom lip. 

Serena stops and drops her hand, tilts her head to the side as she wonders what the problem is, and waits for Bernie to clarify. 

“Not last night,” Bernie replies, voice a bit feeble, and makes eye contact again. “Not where anyone can see,” she clarifies, looking at Serena like a kicked puppy.

“But it’s not—” Serena breaks off as she remember today and the dress Bernie planned on wearing: the otherwise simple hourglass cut in dark green, save for the particularly interesting high-necked collar with cut-out on either side; the dress that covers Bernie’s surgery scar but leaves either side of her neck exposed, curling down to follow the line of her collarbone, and most certainly not covering the mark sitting pretty on the crook of Bernie’s neck. 

“Oh, Bernie, I’m sorry.”Serena wilts as realisation dawns. “I didn’t think, last night—you felt so good and I got carried away—and I just…” she says, wringing her hands and blinking rapidly. “I didn’t think, I’m so sorry.”

She looks Bernie, face contrite and almost distraught. Bernie drops the tension in her shoulders, drops her brush in the sink. Reaches out to wrap her hands around Serena’s and tangles their fingers together to pull her close.

“It’s okay, I forgive you,” Bernie says, wrapping her arms around Serena’s shoulders, feels Serena’s hands rest on her hips. “I should have reminded you,” she adds, brushing her lips over Serena’s ear to whisper: “But it was worth it, for last night.” 

She feels Serena shiver against her towel-clad body and smirks when Serena hums her agreement. She presses a kiss to her cheek, to the corner of her mouth, to her lips, and considers pressing Serena against the shower wall. 

*

Somehow they manage to leave on time, despite the extended showering and Bernie taking three times as long to get ready as she normally would and Serena getting distracted rummaging through her scarf collection. But they leave the house in due course, a bright multicoloured patterned scarf wrapped around Bernie’s neck over the top of enough concealer to lay the foundation of a house obscuring the now invisible purple of her hickey.

Even so, she still frets over it in the passenger side mirror the entire time Serena drives to Charlotte’s flat two suburbs away from the university. Serena bites her tongue and doesn’t say anything until they arrive.

“Stop poking it, you’ll only make it worse,” Serena chides gently when she catches Bernie still playing with as they get out of the car. Bernie starts, tenses up, jams her hands in her pockets. 

Serena switches tact, stops in front of Bernie, runs her hand down her forearm and tries to coax a hand out to hold. Bernie relents, lets Serena tangle their fingers together, but doesn’t make eye contact and scuffles the toe of her shoe on the sidewalk. 

“It’s fine, Bernie, really, I can barely see it and I know exactly what I’m looking for,” Serena tries to reassure, squeezing Bernie’s hand. “No one else is going to know its even there. Besides, it’s not like it’s something really kinky like a whip mark or rope burn,” she adds reasonably.

Bernie snaps her eyes up with horror on her face, looks at the look of absolute seriousness on Serena’s, and holds eye contact for a beat. And another. And another. And bursts out honking. 

Bernie squeezes Serena’s hand tight and almost doubles over for laughing. Serena’s eyes crinkle and she smiles, giggles along with Bernie as she straightens, wipes her eyes, and breathes deep. 

“Okay, you’re right, it could be worse,” Bernie relents, still smiling. Serena nods agreement and drops Bernie’s hand, watched as Bernie gets Charlotte’s present out of the boot, props it up on her hip to slam the door closed. 

Serena locks the car as Bernie walks towards the door of Charlotte’s building. She is surprised to feel the palm of Bernie’s hand slide into hers, until Bernie looks over her shoulder with a smile, and tugs gently on her hand. Serena smiles and lets herself be dragged along behind. 

*

Turns out that while the two of them were on time, everyone else was early and already waiting camped out in the living room, or so Charlotte explains as buzzes them in. She meets them at the front door and pulls Bernie into a hug before she’s barely into the doorframe. Bernie responds in kind, arms tight around Charlotte’s middle and Serena hangs back in the hallway to give the two some space.

Charlotte ushers them in and leads them up the hall, into the kitchen and tells her to put the gift on the bench. She turns to throw her arms around Serena and thanks them both for coming. 

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Bernie says, hands now empty, smiling wide. Charlotte hugs her again. 

“Happy birthday, dear,” Serena says warmly, pressing a kiss to Charlotte’s cheek and her hand to Bernie’s back, before making her way into the living room. 

She’s greeted by a slim blonde women in her early 30s that she can’t help notice bears a striking resemblance to Liberty. 

“Hi, I’m Serena,” she says, offering out a hand. 

“Alice,” she replies, taking Serena’s hand offers out with a rather pathetic attempt at a handshake. Serena assumes the two inch long talons glittering bright blue might have something to do with that. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” she says and means it. Even with the unfortunate resemblance to Edward’s child bride, she’s is a marked improvement on Keeley. At least this woman can’t have watched him grow up. “You’re Cameron’s girlfriend, I take it?”

“No,” she says airily, shaking her head slightly. “Marc’s.” 

“I’m sorry?” Serena queries, voice level and polite, covering her confusion by doing her best to pretend she simply hadn’t heard in the first place.

“I’m Marcus’s partner,” she clarifies. “Cam’s girlfriend’s over there.”

Serena follows her finger across the living room to a blonde woman in her late forties sitting on the sofa currently hand feeding Cam cucumber chunks on toothpicks. Serena tries not to stare at the interaction before her and turns her attention back to Alice.

“Oh, of course, my mistake,” Serena says, voice convincing, despite the rapid blinking of disbelief she can’t quite keep under control. “Still, lovely to met you.”

Alice shoots Serena a look, equal parts knowing and disbelieving, but smiles kindly. “You too.”

Serena nod and points back towards the kitchen. “I’ve, ah, just got to—” Serena stammer out as she walks sideways towards the doorway. “I’ll be right back,” she finished and dashed away.

She practically slams into Bernie, walking just beside Charlotte, turns her by the shoulders and vaults them over to the kitchen sink. 

“Serena, wha—” Bernie stars, bewildered, before Serena cuts her off.

“Cam’s dating another Keeley and Marcus is dating another Liberty,” she hisses, keeping her voice as low as she in spite of the desire to burst out laughing—or maybe scream? She isn’t sure—clawing it’s way up her throat.

Bernie blinks at Serena, then turn to Charlotte over her shoulder. “Oh, _that’s_ what you meant.” 

Serena eyes the two of them until Bernie caves in to clarify. 

“Charlotte was just filling me in one who’s who, but, ah, you’re description is a bit _stronger._ ” Bernie looks over at her daughter and gets a half shrug in return. “There, um, aren’t going to be any anymore surprises today, are there?” Bernie inquires, voice light with hope she knows is false when Charlotte looks down and away and starts stubbing her toe on the floor. 

“Actually, um, I, ah, got someone for you to met, too,” Charlotte says, and Serena can’t help smiling as Charlotte swallows her words the spit of Bernie. “Morgan is coming after work, and, um, I wa—”

“Oh, so we’re finally getting to meet this mystery date of yours?” Cam’s voice cuts Charlotte off and carries over the kitchen. “Here I was thinking you just made them up because you got sick of people asking if you’re ever gonna get a boyfriend,” he ribs with no small amount of glee.

“Cam,” Bernie warns while Charlotte purses her lips and glares at Cam. He does the smart thing and keeps his mouth shut. 

“Well, I _am_ sick of people always asking,” Charlotte snaps and shoves her hands in her pockets. “Besides, never saw the point in discussing who I was dating until I had someone worth introducing, so…” she trails off with a shrug, and looks down at her shoes.

Serena feels the kitchen get a bit thicker and Bernie’s eye bore into her, screaming for help. She looks back, jerks her head towards Charlotte, mouths “say something supportive” and flaps her hand to usher Bernie forward.

Bernie’s face flicks through turmoil to uncertainty to terror before smoothing to blank as she turns to her daughter. 

“And, ah, now you do?” she asks gently, voice light and coaxing, silently praying that’s the right thing to say. She breathes a sigh of relief when Charlotte looks up with a smile, small and bright, and nods, her head still tilted to the side. Bernie smiles and holds Charlotte’s gaze, resisting the urge to look towards Serena for advice. She does what she thinks Serena might do in the situation instead: reaches out hold Charlotte’s elbow and squeezes. “Who ever it is, I’m sure we’ll love them.” 

Charlotte beams brighter, relief obvious in her eyes, and pulls Bernie out of the kitchen. She pushes Cam back into the living room and pauses to make sure Serena is bringing up the rear, before starting on a round of introductions. 

*

The actual lunch goes on without a hitch, the floor of Charlotte’s living room converted to an indoor picnic, a banquet of curries and rice spread out to share. The conversation is easy enough, if a little light on content, everyone more concerned with stuffing their faces than talking. Particularly Bernie, when her stomach reminders her she skipped breakfast for that second bout in the shower. 

She sets about devouring as much food as she can, ends up getting a little overeager with a piece of sauce ladened naan and ends up dripping masala on Serena’s scarf. Takes it off without a second thought and keeps eating, only remembers why she put it on in the first place when she notices Serena looking at her thought lowered lashes, half a plate full of food later. 

Bernie tries not to panic, finishes the current plate of food she’s served herself, then ducks off to the bathroom. 

She’s relieved to see her neck really is fine, the bruise barely visible, and even then only if someone already knew what to look for and really stared. Covers it over with another layer of concealer just to be safe and heads back into the living room for another helping.

She walks back into the living room to find Susan wiping at Cam’s sauce smeared face with what she assumes in a spit-damp hanky in a way that can really, very seriously, only be describe as maternal. 

Bernie tries not to grimace, sits down back down next to Serena, and hears her muttering under her breath. She turns slightly to see Serena rolling her eyes so hard she might well curl them all the way back into her head and out her mouth and stifles a laugh by stuffing her face with a piece of naan.

*

Everyone is lounging back, well and truly full, nursing cups of tea when the front door buzzes.

“That’ll be Morgan!” Charlotte jumps up, excitement obvious on her face, and dashes to the door, moving far too quickly for someone who’s just eaten so much. 

“Blimey, she is keen,” Bernie breathes out, and struggles to sit up properly, sees Marcus doing the same out of the corner of her eye. She leans closer to whisper over at him: “Do you know anything about them?”

Marcus avoids her eyes but shakes his head. “But I’m pretty sure he’s vegetarian,” he guesses, pointing to unopened containers of mushroom masala and dahl waiting to be eaten by their newest arrival. 

Bernie hums and nods as she stands up, offers out a hand to Serena to help her up to, and wait for Charlotte to come back with company. 

Charlotte comes barrelling around the corner to stand in the doorway next to a mousy haired young woman with more piercings than Bernie has fingers, and possibly even toes.

“Everyone, this is Morgan.” 

A beat of silence passes in the still living room.

Morgan smiles and waves. “Hi.”

“I’m Serena, delighted to meet you,” Serena says, stepping forward without so much as a blink, her arm outstretched responding like she would to meeting a staff member on the ward or a familiar name at a conference. “I’ve heard exactly nothing about you.”

“I’d be lying if I said the same,” Morgan says with a laugh and takes Serena’s hand to shake it firmly. 

Serena smirks. “Only some of it is true, promise.”

Bernie takes a deep breath, lets herself process; looks at her daughter to beam brightly. Catches Marcus out of the corner of her eyes, sees him giving a very good impression of having an aneurysm, and turns her face to glare. 

Marcus notices and glares back, flicks his eyes towards Morgan, and waves his hands at his ears. Bernie snorts, shakes her head with a smile, and steps forward to introduce herself.

Marcus stays a few beats behind but joins in short order, where as Alice bypasses the introductions altogether: opts for kicking some cushions away to make space for another person on the floor and goes to reheat Morgan’s lunch instead. She comes back with her hands full and shoos them onto the picnic rug, and waves hello while Morgan getting comfortable on the floor and Charlotte settles down beside her.

“Cam why didn’t you tell me she was—” Susan hisses, before Cam cuts her off with a hiss of her name.

The room turns their attention to Susan, the surprised but warm atmosphere of a moment ago now thick and tense, and both she and Cam shuffle uncomfortably in their seats. 

Cam keeps his mouth shut and sends a pair of apologetic eyes towards his sister. Susan, on the other hand, just stares at Charlotte and Morgan, and keeps on talking. 

“I, didn’t realise you were…” she trails off and she flicks her eyes towards Bernie and Serena. “I mean, of course, I knew you two were, ah—”

“ _Sue_ ,” Cam warns again, reaching out to rest his hand on hers.

“—but I didn’t know that—” she cuts herself off when Cam squeeze her hand, evidently getting the message this time. 

Bernie looks at Cam’s panicked, disappointed eyes, and considers letting things lie. Then she notices Susan’s eyes flicking still between herself and Charlotte, sees the hint of disgust brightening the discomfort in Susan’s gaze, and feels herself sneer.

“That…I’d inflected my daughter with lesbian spores?” Bernie offers, tone steel and the very opposite of a friendly suggestion as to how Susan might have finished her sentence she hadn’t been hushed.

Morgan snorts and Bernie glances at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Worried you might get infected too,” Morgan mumbles under her breath. Bernie offers her a sly smile while Charlotte bites back laugh. 

“Course not, I’m not a fre—” Susan has the good sense to cut herself off this time, but not before Cam lets go of her hand and draws in on himself. “I mean, I’m not that way inclined,” she mumbles out, surreptitiously staring at the ground to avoid that daggers being stared at her. 

“Neither was I before I met Bernie,” Serena interjects, voice clear and loud and cutting through the tension of the room. She puts her hand on Bernie’s shoulder and keeps her features schooled serious. “Best watch out, she really is catching.”

Charlotte snorts again as Morgan loses it completely; Serena keeps her composure but Bernie fails miserably and starts honking. Her laugh shocks Morgan and Alice, while Charlotte just laughs harder, Marcus groans before chuckling good naturedly, and Cam follows suit. 

Meanwhile, Serena continues to stare at Susan, sitting awkwardly, blushing furiously, curling in on herself more by the second. 

Until Serena feels Bernie’s eyes burning into her. She stops glaring to Susan to catch Bernie smiling at her, spark in her eye as she flicks them towards the hallway. Serena quirks a brow, nods ever so slightly, and gathers up a few tea mugs. She takes them to the kitchen and dumps them in the sink, walks back towards the living room where everyone is still chuckling, stuffing their face with yet more food, or both, save for Bernie who is halfway up the hall.

Serena dashes up the hallway with a smile on her face, slips her hand over Bernie’s palm as she walks past, tangles their fingers together and yanks Bernie towards the bathroom. She feels Bernie hold on tight as she drags along behind and Serena bites her lip until they make it to the bathroom. 

She practically throws Bernie through the doorframe and almost slams the door behind them before leaning heavy against the door and finally, _finally_ bursts out laughing. 

She can hear Bernie honking again and flails her hand out. Feels Bernie hold her hand tight and steps forward still gasping with laughter. She falls against her shoulder, can feel Bernie shaking under her forehead, takes a few deep breaths and calms herself enough to talk. 

She pulls away, looks up at Bernie’s sparkling face, and blinks rapidly. 

“Lesbian spores?” Serena manages to choke out between still laboured breaths. 

“That show we watched a few weeks ago,” Bernie replies, voice laughter thick, wiping her eyes again. “The one with the blonde you fancy?”

“You mean the one with the school teacher _you_ fancy,” Serena replies indignantly, but nods anyway. 

“Touché,” Bernie counters and pulls her close, and Serena nuzzles in under her ear. “But yes, that one.” 

“I see,” Serena says with a giggle and pulls back slightly. “Well that explains every…thing,” she trails off as she notices the splodge at the crook of Bernie’s neck has darkened. “Watch out, code purple.”

“Hmm?” Bernie hums, the tips of Serena’s hair still tickling her nose, before leaning back properly.

Serena nods and points. “Your friend is showing again.”

Bernie swears andpulls the concealer out of the pocket of her dress as she turns to stand in front of the mirror. 

“This is still your fault,” she mumbles, looking at Serena’s reflection smirk at her as she dabs at the bruise.

“Yes, I know,” Serena purrs, smug and self satisfied, and rubs a hand over Bernie’s back.

Bernie knows the hand on her back as yet another apology, but the lack of even a sliver of remorse in Serena’s tone raises Bernie’s hackles. She rallies up and glares at Serena’s reflection. 

“I’ve half a mind to get you back,” she threatens into the mirror glass and Serena’s hand stops moving on Bernie’s back. 

“Oh, I hope so,” Serena says, spark in her eye. “They’ll be plenty of time for that later when we get home.”

Bernie breaks eye contact, purposefully places the stick of concealer on the sink, and turns towards Serena. 

“No, no, I think there’s just enough time now,” Bernie says lightly and launches her at Serena, pushing her up against the wall and kissing her fiercely, before Serena has a chance to so much as squeak. 

She moans as her back hits the towel rail, arches into Bernie with a groan. Feels Bernie’s hand slide down her thigh and hook under her knee, lets her head fall back against the wall as Bernie draws her leg up over her hip.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” Bernie mumbles, hoving just shy of Serena’s lips, and smiles when Serena nods frantically. 

Serena inhales sharply as Bernie practically attacks her neck, peppering kisses just below her ear. She lets her head fall back against the wall and turns her face to give Bernie better access. Groans as Bernie licks over the shell, whimpers as Bernie sucks on an earlobe, moans as Bernie scrapes her teeth over sensitive skin.

Serena tries not to keen as Bernie keeps scraping her teeth down the side of Serena’s neck, but can’t help bucking against Bernie’s hips when she feels a nip at her jugular, and whimpers when she feels a tongue rake over the same spot.

Serena loves it when Bernie gets like this, one-track mind and desperate to hear her moan, and can’t help begging for more. She can feel Bernie’s smirk against her skin as she gently kisses that _spot_ : the one that makes Serena melt, just shy of her pulse point in the corner of her jaw and ear.

Serena moans gently as she trembles in Bernie’s arms as Bernie gently nibbles at her skin, until she nips one, again, and then _hard._ Serena gasps, clutches at Bernie’s shoulder, sighs as Bernie soothes it with her tongue and lips. 

She smiles as Bernie presses one last featherlight kiss to what they both know will be a rapidly purpling bruise, dips her head to capture Bernie’s lips in a long, languid, open mouthed kiss, before pushing Bernie away to settle back on her own two feet. 

“Best get back,” Serena suggests, despite her eyes flicking down to stare Bernie’s kiss bruised lips. “They might send out a search party.”

“Worth it though,” Bernie says, taking another step back, smiling smug and self satisfied. Serena smiles back, lazy and just as satisfied, and breathes deeply as turns away towards the mirror.

Bernie checks her reflection, smooths down her hair, wipes a thumb along the curve of her lip to rub away the red of Serena's lipstick, straightens her dress. Checks the hickey is still invisible, nods her satisfaction, and picks up the stick to pass it over to Serena. 

“I’ll go take the brunt of the stares,” Bernie says, stealing one last quick kiss, before leaving Serena to sort out her neck. 

*

The only stare Serena gets when she returns to the living room a minute or two later is from Bernie, who brightens like she always does when she sees Serena, because everyone else is far too busy debating whether to eat cake before or after Twister. 

Serena stays right out of the debate, given she’s still too full to think of partaking in either, and starts to clear away picnic mat. Alice and Morgan both jump up to help, while the Dunns keep arguing the pros and cons on cake verses contortion, and Bernie acts as mediator.

Serena walks in and out of the room three times, and notices Bernie’s eyes on her neck every time she comes back. 

At first she assumes the look is smugness, knowing what’s under the concealer on Serena’s neck, and looks away quickly to avoid flushing under Bernie’s stare. Then she realises Bernie’s eyes are more worried than anything else, and assumes the mark on her neck is more visible that she anticipated. 

She rattles at first, wondering if the different light of the living room leaves the bruise on display, and fights back the urge to steal back her scarf. Then she passes Alice and Morgan with her last armful of things, is certain neither of them so much as glance at her neck, and realises she wouldn’t care even if they did start staring. 

She walks back into the living room and plonks herself down on the arm of Bernie’s chair; shakes her head when Bernie leans over to whisper an apology in her ear. 

“It’s alright, Bernie, we’re all adults, it’s not as if they’ve never seen a hickey before,” she says evenly, just quieter than the volume of the rest of the room and intended for Bernie’s ears. “Besides, it’s not they can see the bite mark on my arse or the nail scratches down your back,” she continues, only realising the rest of the room has stopped talking once she’s finished.

She turns away from Bernie to see the whole room staring at her.

She stares right back, as Bernie wilts beside her, as Charlotte blinks owlishly, as Susan stays silent despite the screaming eyes, as Cam chokes on his drink, as Marcus looks like he’s about to faint. 

Serena can’t help the smirk as Marcus flails out to hold onto Alice’s arm, especially when she notes the spark in Alice’s eye, the flush of her cheeks, the curl of her lips. _Well, that’s interesting_ , Serena notes, and files that piece of information away for later.

She keeps staring them down, as Bernie plucks up the courage to occupy a corporal form again, even as she hears footsteps behind her. She stares them all down as she notices Charlotte looking over Serena’s shoulder to Morgan coming back from the kitchen. 

“What’d I miss?” Morgan asks, sensing something off in the room as she goes to sit down next to Charlotte.

“Body marking bruises,” Charlotte fills her in as she settles beside her.

“Oh, you want arnica for that,” Morgan says, looking around the entire room, to place which couple actually needs the advice . “Helps the healing process heaps.”

“It really does,” Charlotte adds, nodding vigorously. “I use it whenever I end up with spanking prints.”

Serena sees Marcus practically faint onto the couch as he sits down so heavily it bounces Cam up in the air a few inches, hears a high pitched whimper claws its way up Bernie’s throat sitting beside her, and wills herself not to react to either. 

She manages it. Just. Blinks at Charlotte. Smiles kindly.

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Charlotte smiles back and Serena recognises the same wide puppy smile she’s so used to seeing on Bernie’s face. Feels herself smiling brighter, feels the room exhale, feel it settle down into an eerie kind of calm. 

The room stays silent for a few beat. Cameron coughs. Marcus sniffles. Bernie stays as silent as Serena has ever heard her, until she can’t take it anymore. 

“Right, well, anyone for cake?” Serena suggests and she is certain she has never seen so many grown adults light up at the prospect of dessert before. “I’ll take that as a “yes” then, shall I?” 

Everyone nods except for Susan, who seems to have lost the ability to function. Serena reaches out to braces herself on Bernie’s shoulder and hauls herself standing. Looks down at Bernie and pats her arm.

“Come on Bernie, you can help me with the candles.” 

Bernie lets out a tiny whine as Serena lightly slaps her forearm but nods and pads behind Serena into the kitchen. 

*

The tension in the flat has cracked by the time the cake is ready, Morgan having left the living room to help them in the kitchen having moved things on considerably. Serena smiles as the young woman joins them but Bernie avoids eye contact.

Bernie’s zippo gets its first use in months once the cake is correctly candled and Bernie calls for hush and gets the lights while Morgan makes towards the living room with the cake.

Serena walks to stand beside Bernie with her hands full of plates and a knife as the room croons “happy birthday.” Serena is certain Bernie is purposefully singing off key because no one can be _that_ bad, surely? She smiles despite herself as Marcus calls the “hurrays” and claps as Charlotte blows out the candles.

Bernie flicks the light back on to catch Charlotte running her finger through the frosting on one of the corners.

“None of that now,” Serena chides. “You have to cut it first.”

Charlotte smirks, licks her finger clean anyway, and takes the hilt of the offered knife. 

Cam looks at the cake while Charlotte divides it up and frowns. 

“That not the frosting you asked me to bring,” he states, clearly confused, as he takes the offered plate out of Charlotte’s hand.

“Course it isn’t,” Charlotte replies, and keeps cutting. 

“Then what’d you need it fo— _oh,”_ Cam trails off when Charlotte pins him with a glare. 

The rest of the room are a few beats behind joining the dots but get there in the end. 

“Oh, god, no more,” Marcus begs, a broken man close to tears.

“What!” Charlotte exclaims. “I didn’t say anything about—”

“No details, please!” Bernie cries, looking like she’s half a second away from clamping her hands over her ears and singing “la la la” to block out anything else that comes out of Charlotte’s mouth. 

“I don’t know, frosting sounds rather fun,” Alice pipes up and Marcus turns to stare at her, his face a bit less perturbed and touch intrigued.

“Can we _please_ stop over sharing informations about our sex lives now?” Serena begs.

“You started it,” Morgan points out.

“Well, now I’m finishing it,” Serena chastises with a gentle shake of her head as she quirks a brow and widens her eyes.

“That’s what she said!” Cam shouts rapid, words blurring to end in a cackle. 

Serena closes her eyes, sucks in a deep breath, holds out a hand to Bernie for strength; knows her prays are lost in the ripple of laughter that flows through the room as they all dissolve into hysterics again. She looks at Bernie, face flushed and close to tears, and squeezes her hand; knows that no matter how embarrassed or overinformed they end up by the time either of them home, neither of them would have missed this for the world.


End file.
